IIM fee hike: Arjun Singh spares a thought for poor

FEE FOR ALL: HRD Minister Arjun Singh meets top IIM-A official on Wednesday.

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New Delhi: Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh is expected to meet a top official of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad on Wednesday over its plan to hike fees.

IIM Ahmedabad on Saturday announced it was raising its fees from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 11.5 lakh and IIM Kozhikode on Monday increased its fee from Rs 385,000 to Rs 600,000.

Singh on Wednesday told CNN-IBN he didn’t want to interfere with the autonomy of IIMs but wanted to know how they expect the poor to pay the fees.

“I have no intention of disturbing that autonomy. My only concern is that under these circumstances, what arrangement will be made for students of weaker sections and poor students,” he said.

Vijaypat Singhania, chairperson of the governing council of IIM-A, is expected to meet Singh this evening. Human Resource Development Ministry officials say that IIM-A raised its fees from Rs 158,000 to Rs 200,000 between 2002 and 2007 and any new hike should be gradual and graded.

The officials claim that a three-fold hike, as taken by the IIM-A, could pose problems for economically weaker students.

IIM-A officials say they want to increase fees to get money which will be used to retain faculty.

CNN-IBN Correspondent reports Singh, unlike his predecessor Murli Manohar Joshi, doesn’t want a confrontation with the IIMs but wants to know what specific steps they will take to ensure that poor students are not denied a chance in admissions.

The IIMs plan to introduce schemes like providing interest-fee loans to poor students and Singh would want to know the status of these plans.

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) too have proposed a fee hike. IIT students may have to pay Rs 50, 000 per annum as against the current fees of Rs 25, 000 if the fee hike is implemented.

Fee hike season in IIMs

• IIM - Ahmedabad: Rs 4.5 lakh (for two-year course) Rs 11.5 lakh (for two-year course).
• IIM-Indore: Rs 1.9 lakh (for first year) Rs 3 lakh (for first year)

  Rs 3.1 lakh (for second year).

• IIM-Kozhikode: Rs 1.9 lakh (for first year) Rs 3 lakh (for first year) Rs 1.95 lakh (for second year) Rs 3 lakh (for second year)>
• IIM-Lucknow: Rs 2 lakh (for first year) Rs 2.5 lakh (for first year)

  Rs 2 lakh (for second year) Rs 2.5 lakh (for second year).

• IIM-Calcutta: Rs 2 lakh (for first year) Rs 2.5 lakh (for first year)

  Rs 2 lakh (for second year) Rs 2.5 lakh (for second year).

• IIM - Bangalore: Rs 2.5 lakh (for first year) Rs 4 lakh (for first year) Rs 2.5 lakh (for second year) Rs 4 lakh (for second year).

The IIMs justify the fee hike saying the fees at other management institutes are much higher. Heres a look at some of them:

• The fees for a one year programme at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad is a whopping Rs 17 lakh 63,000.
• A two-year programme at Management Development Institute at Gurgaon is Rs 6 lakh.
• Two-year management courses at SP Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai and T A Pai Management Institute in Manipal cost Rs 4lakh each.